INSIDE: N Classified Marketplace, page 63 N Puzzles, page 64
Home Front
WORM COMPOSTING ... Alane Weber, aka “the worm lady of San Mateo,” will teach a class on turning kitchen scraps into botanical gold on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Common Ground Educational Center, 599 College Ave., Palo Alto. Weber has nurtured her own compost worms for 16 years and taught vermicomposting for San Mateo County for nine years. Cost is $35. For information, call 650493-6072 or visit www.commongroundinpaloalto.org. GOT GARDEN QUESTIONS? ... Master Gardeners are available to answer home-gardening questions every Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Gamble Garden Library in the main house at 1431 Waverley St., Palo Alto. To reach the Master Gardener Hotline, call 650-329-1356, ext. 205. For information, call Master Gardeners at 408-282-3105, between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday or visit http://mastergardeners.org.
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inderella used hers for stylish transport to the ball, but ordinary folks who want to create magical table settings can also begin with a big, fat pumpkin. Kit Golson, a Redwood Citybased interior and event designer, created 36 pumpkins “with bling” for the annual Hidden Villa awards banquet in September. “The idea grew because budgets didn’t allow us to purchase flowers,” she said. “Pumpkin is about as basic as you’re going to get.” But Golson’s pumpkins were no ordinary gourds. First she built a rustic backdrop, a layer of plain brown wrapping paper, with a sheet of creamy pearlized art-craft pa-
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per. Golson suggested folding the craft paper in quarters, then cutting (or tearing) a wavy edge, creating a circle. “The idea is to look hand cut, not like it was stamped out by machine,” she said. “This made a visual base to anchor” the centerpiece, she said. Next came a clear-plastic platter, but Golson suggests using a gold charger plate at home (or nothing, if you don’t intend to move the piece off the table when dinner is served). Sage-green Spanish moss, or decorative excelsior, was then added to the paper base. To create a “nest,” she chose a floral wrapper, a metallic material that looks like netting. A fan (continued on page 51)
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Seasonal gourds make handsome table decorations for fall holidays A little gold spray paint, gold foil, excelsior and craft paper can turn an ordinary pumpkin into a stunning seasonal centerpiece. Photos by Kit Golson.
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by Carol Blitzer
HOLIDAY TRADITIONS ... Tickets are already on sale for Filoli’s annual Holiday Traditions event, which runs Friday, Nov. 27, through Saturday, Dec. 5, with a theme of “Winter Wonderland.” The week kicks off with a Premiere Access Shopping Evening, with music, wine and hors d’oeuvres, on Friday, Nov. 27 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. ($80 for nonmembers, $70 for members); Evening Dinner Party, with dining and dancing, Saturday, Nov. 28, 6:30 or 8 p.m. dinner seating ($150, $135); then continues with daily holiday shopping boutiques. Ticket prices range from $25 to $30 for members and $30 to $35 for nonmembers, depending on the dates. Other events include lunch buffets, evening holiday shopping boutiques, Supper in the Cafe and Children’s Parties. For the full schedule, visit www. filoli.org. WHICH HOLIDAY IS IT? ... And, tickets are on sale for the Children’s Holiday Decorating Party on Sunday, Dec. 6, 1 to 2:30 p.m. or 3 to 4:30 p.m., at the Gamble Garden Carriage House, 1431 Waverley St., Palo Alto. Children age 6 and above can decorate cookies and ornaments and enjoy treats. Tickets are $15 for nonmembers, $10 for members. For information, call 650-329-1356 ext. 201, or visit www.gamblegarden.org. N *> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ"VÌ LiÀÊÎä]ÊÓää ÊU Page 49